Covid-19 and tips for avoiding it in the Okanagan.

Well isn't this nice...

Who could have imagined that a week ago everything was all hunky dory and then BAMB mass hysteria over toilette paper, people stockpiling groceries, everyone is running to their doctors and 811 is no longer reachable for days. No one has any answers and the problem is only getting worse with the lack of reliable information and knowledgeable health professionals to guide everyone in the right direction.

Our family returned from a wonderful week long holiday down to Vancouver and Seattle with a three day stop over at Great Wolf Lodge. We shopped at Ikea, and ate at local restaurants in the lower mainland, swam and enjoyed all of the amenities the hotel has to offer. The kids were living their best life in a cesspool basically. Meanwhile COVID-19 is rapidly spreading in these exact areas and it didn't seem to us that much was being done to prevent the spread of the virus. We left Washington the same day Disneyland decided to close their doors, that really confirmed that shit was going down in the US. We knew that we needed to get back to Canada as soon as possible to avoid being stuck in the US and potentially being infected.

When I did finally get through to 811 on Saturday, after trying since our return on Thursday and our decision to self isolate; the kind nurse laughed and commented how lucky we were to have not come through the border on Friday because that's when the government put the mandatory isolation order into effect. ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME????? Did that nurse really just tell me to head back out into our community only days after returning from an epicenter and me mentioning that we were showing signs of being sick? WHERE is she getting her information from? Who's she trying to help!? This kind nurse told me not to worry and that we can resume life as normal, with a giggle in her cute Australian accent. Avoiding restaurants, movie theaters and large groups, however continue to work and shop etc. I had panic knowing that this is the information she is giving to people who are knowingly a possible risk to their community.

There has been NO reported cases of COVID-19 in the North Okanagan and we want to keep it that way!!! If everyone who travels home from an infected area stays in quarantine for 14 days we could avoid the pandemic here all together. YES, some who are travelling home will become ill with the virus however MOST will not die. If you do become ill with Covid-19 you need to CALL your doctor and speak with them on the PHONE to figure out what to do next. GOOGLE it, research it, know the FACTS and DON'T leave your house if you are at risk of being a carrier unless you absolutely must and then you wear a mask. Not everyone who gets infected will die, and if you're at that point then you still need to CALL for help. The fewer people that are exposed the better at this point. I found this article linked below to be the most helpful in navigating what the next steps are for your family. DON'T bother running to the doctor or hospital or even 811....The medical staff can't save you if you're walking into Hospitals and Dr.'s Offices looking for help and they get sick because of YOU! They need to prepare themselves for your arrival and take all the precautions necessary. As I mentioned several times, this virus is relatively NEW in Canada and the medical staff are doing the best they can to get prepared and have proper procedures in place.

If our family leaves our home and infected our community that would be incredibly irresponsible and selfish of us. We have no pressing issues that can't be rescheduled and this can really pass quickly if we all do our part. Of course there are thousands that can't miss work and if you're not concerned about being a carrier than it's not a concern to go to work. The less we run around town yelling, complaining and buying up all the shit tickets the faster COVID-19 will be a pandemic of the past. We WILL get through this with or without toilette paper, it just seems really scary right now.

Keep calm, stay home if you don't need to go out and don't go out if you are at risk of being a carrier. If you haven't travelled out of COUNTRY or to infected areas (because remember there are NO reported cases in the North Okanagan) then you cannot be a carrier of the virus and therefore should be safe... Now if you're running around with all the crazies that aren't taking responsibility and staying home, then I have no good advice for you. There are several LOCAL shops that ship locally or you can arrange for pick up so take advantage of that. Remember that the local small businesses are going to be the ones that suffer the most. You're currently safe in our area, until someone messes up. Buy only what you NEED to get through for 14 days in case you do become infected and can't leave home to get supplies. Most importantly though use your common sense and do what is right for others around you, don't think selfishly and risk others health.

Good luck fellow Okanaganers, and stay safe. We will get through this. In the meantime I will be focusing on 14 things I'm grateful for, trying not to eat my young and running my business while taking care of the family for the next two weeks. Wish me luck and you're welcome for staying home cause it would have been a hell of a LOT easier to kick the family out and let everyone else deal with them, just saying. haha

Noble Wellness Studio has cancelled classes run by Tanya Snow and Santana Brown as they have decided to put themselves into self quarantine for the safety of our community after returning from trips abroad. Stay tuned for more details regarding the upcoming schedule.